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| Dried Tussie Mussie with a message of Love. Flora Sophia. |
A Tussie Mussie, a small bouquet of flowers, herbs and greenery may appear to be sweet and reserved but they can speak volumes and carry a big message. They first became popular in the 1700s but at that time they were mostly silent, their purpose was more practical providing a lovely scent in a very smelly environment! They could be held to the nose or pinned to a dress in order to make the odors of the time less harsh to delicate constitutions. Victorian England had a garbage problem. It was once believed as well that the fragrance of flowers could actually save you against catching the plague.
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was the wife of the Ambassador to Constantinople and she is attributed to introducing the Language of Flowers to Victorian England where they became all the rage. Victorian English society had a strict code of morality and proper conduct which made it very difficult to communicate ones true feelings. Lady Mary, a travel writer and aristocrat, wrote about "Selam" which means 'greeting' and introduced the Turkish language of objects where encoded messages were passed between women of the harem and their lovers through flowers, stones, herbs, fruit, etc. Everything has a meaning. On another note flowers were considered a more proper adornment for women than jewelry and they were widely given as gifts as well.
National Portrait Gallery, London
The Victorian Era not only saw the fervor for growth in business during the Industrial Revolution but also the madness for exotic flowers and plants which were considered prizes to the wealthy. During this time many nurseries began to employ plant explorers to go out into the Far East, the American West, and South America collecting plants, tubers and seeds. They could be gone for years and the expeditions proved costly and dangerous. Orchid mania or 'Orchidelirium' as it became known became an obsession and vast sums of money were spent in their collection and cultivation. So perhaps the wealthy had their exotic Orchids, their Amazonian Water Lily's and their Chinese Rhododendrons but for young women and their admirers they had Floriography, the Language of Flowers, and the delights of simple flowers. During this time many flower dictionaries were written and published. In fact it is believed that 98 books were written and offered in 227 editions between 1800-1937.
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| Symbolically designed 'Get Well' Bouquet. Flora Sophia. |
I think it is a charming tradition and so I decided to design dried flower Tussie Mussies to give as gifts. With each bouquet I include a listing of flowers used and their meanings. This Get Well bouquet features Oats for Wellness and Good Health; Ammobium for Love and Light; Bunny Tails for Cheerfulness; preserved Cedar- a Healing and Protective Evergreen; Coxcomb for Vitality and Strength; and golden Yarrow a Healing and Protective herb; and more.
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| I Love You Tussie Mussie, Flora Sophia. |
One of my favorite dried flowers/pods is Nigella-Love in the Mist as seen here in this Love bouquet above, the pod with the striped coloring. It represents Love and Harmony, the Bonds that Bind Us together, the perfect sentiment for a Tussie.
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| A lovely bouquet to give a dear Friend. A friendship Tussie Mussie, Flora Sophia. Another favorite dried herb to use in my Tussie Mussies is Oregano. The purple cluster in the bouquet above is Greek Oregano and the multi-petaled cream and lavender flower is Kent Oregano symbolic of Friendship. It is a Greek tradition to give newly married couples Oregano for Joy and Happiness as it is known as "Joy of the Mountain." There are many wonderful books available if you'd like to learn more and perhaps try your hand at making your own fresh flower bouquets. One in particular "Tussie Mussies-The Victorian Art of Expressing Yourself in the Language of Flowers' by Geraldine Adamich Laufer, published by Workman Publishing, NY 1993. A lovely book with color pictures of each bouquet, instructions on making each fresh flower bouquet and a thorough "index of sentiments." And I invite you to visit my Etsy shop Flora Sophia Studio if you are interested in purchasing and gifting a loved one a dried flower tussie mussie. https://www.etsy.com/shop/Florasophia Flora Sophia bringing beauty and meaning to life. Thank you for stopping by... Noel |
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